Football match reports

Wingham Warriors high expectations of a possible top five berth were soon turned into disappointment after the first 45 minutes of play. Port United were gifted their first goal as the Warriors went to sleep and allowed a soft goal to be scored. Port then gained confidence with their lead and pressured the Warriors into playing a structure less game that allowed them easy turn over possession which they quickly converted into points.

Second half after some wake up words saw a complete turn around with the Warriors holding their shape and totally dominating the play. Wingham hit back with a smart goal from Mitch Bevitt which was created by controlled play allowing time on the ball up front. Wingham were starting to ram home the advantage but unfortunately the shots were falling short of the mark and finding the paint work of the posts rather than the back of the net. The Wingham lads were able to take some thing out of this game as they won the second half which builds the believe in them selves and the structure.

Players player this week Ryan Haley, well supported by Dean Whitlam and Zee Nyathi. Special thanks to Dan the Man Ihlow who travelled back home to be part of the team, real commitment.

Ladies

Wingham ladies played pacific palms on Saturday. Palms dominated early but once Wingham sought end themselves out they began applying pressure. With Claire bird injecting herself from the midfield to score with a nice right cross. Second goal came when Anique Morris made a break but was just touched from behind and tripped over and Claire bird swooped on the loose ball to run away and score again. Miranda Deal scored the final goal standing on the back post to put one in from a corner.

All the ladies played well against a much improved palms team. Teaana Peckett has nearly scored the last two weeks in a row. Keep trying Yeanna. Three nil win to Wingham ladies.

U/13 Wingham Warriors

Lansdowne Lions were still waking when the Saxby’s U/13 Wingham Warriors pounced in the first few minutes of the game.

The home field familiarity saw a pinball like attack as Wingham took the ball to the opponents goal line, back and forth between Maddie Owen and Cannan O’Donnell to score the first goal of the game. A strong counter attack put pressure on goalie Sam Morse, who showed the specialist goalie training was working as he stretched high to block a threatening goal attempt .

The backline of Kye Gregory, Declan Ford and Blade Soars worked to shut down several attacks for the Lansdowne forward pack, changing direction and booting the ball back into our attacking half. Jade Clark, renowned for putting her all into the game, sent fear into the opposition as her boot flew almost as far as the ball in one of her strong defensive kicks.

The forwards continued to be fed by mid fielders Travis Hobson, David Diehm and Megan Smith while Nash McPherson was working on wing, passing the ball back into the centre for fellow attacking players. This solid team work, strong passing and respect for one another allowed a number of goals to be scored.

With the coach calling to “jockey” and “don’t dive in,” it was confusing as to what game we were playing, and in soaring autumn temperatures the players looked like they would have liked to “dive in” at the end of the exhausting game. Super Coach Goodman was in full flight as he tried to impress his own personal trainer and photographer on the sidelines. Staggering away with a 5/2 victory, the fourth win in a row, the team needs to remain grounded (especially Blade Soars), not get too cocky and play the whole game.

Under 12

Colourful soccer boots made the day as the visiting Under 12 Amcal Pharmacy Warriors travelled to Tuncurry on Saturday to play against the other Tuncurry side. One-nil down at the first break showed how well the Wingham side has improved thanks to good defence from Jack Summerville, Emilee Cuthbertson and Jacob Jones, and very solid goal-keeping from man-of-the-match Logan Faunt. Lachlan Irvine and Jordan Darby were doing good work on the wings, combining well with Nathan Smith and Matt Stepowikow who scored Wingham’s only goal in the second half. Alle Clarkson and her sister Zoey were excellent in the mids, attacking the ball strongly and keeping the enthusiastic crowd on their seats, while Amara Woolnough, Hayley O’Neil and Blake Franklin tried hard all game. Coaches David and Todd were happy with final score of 4-1. The kids have improved with every game on the big fields.